Speech staatssecretaris Dijksma bij de High Level Conference EU Ecosysteemdiensten

Toespraak | 22-05-2014

Commissioner Potočnik,

Director General Falkenberg,

Distinguished Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today is an important day in 2 respects.

First of all, today is the International Day for Biological Diversity. This means we will give some extra thought to the importance of our natural capital and to the millions of species that make life on earth possible.

But today is also election day. In the Netherlands we will go to the polls to elect a new European Parliament.

These two matters are more closely related than you might at first think. Nature and all the many species that make our lives possible are not confined by borders. I’ve never seen a bird reach a border only to turn around and fly back because it has forgotten its passport. Have you?

It’s therefore clear that we can only safeguard our biodiversity if we make agreements at European level. And the Parliament is an important institution in this respect.

That doesn’t mean we don’t have policy at national level. The Dutch government recently established its new vision on nature. We have brought some English copies with us today for those interested.

The vision describes how the government, as a guardian of vulnerable nature, must ensure that basic conditions are in place. We do this by designating and managing Natura 2000 sites. By implementing international agreements on the conservation of species and habitats.

But, that in itself is not enough. We have been able to slow down the loss of biodiversity in recent decades, but we haven’t managed to halt it completely. And we also think this will not happen unless we can make nature a stronger element of society itself. In our vision we call for a change in thinking: we no longer want to protect nature against society, but strengthen it with society.

We want to combine nature with other societal functions, so we can make optimal use of the services provided by ecosystems and as such also protect them. Not by building fences around nature, but by creating gateways to nature.

We want to combine nature management of dunes with coastal safety and opportunities for water collection and recreation. We want to be able to build a hospital in a green environment, as this will benefit patients while also being an investment in nature. And we want farmers to create nature-friendly river banks and hedgerows, so they can contribute to combating pests. Because we do know that nature-inclusive agriculture is the only option. Agriculture only has a future if it is practiced more sustainably: healthy soil and agricultural biodiversity are indispensable for production. And increased production is required to feed the growing world population.

Our economy, environment, health and societal resilience can benefit considerably from a sustainable combination of protection, perception and the use of nature. I am convinced that public interests around nature will benefit if we are more aware of the services nature provides.

That is why it is so important that we know the economic value of biodiversity. Studies on the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity, called TEEB studies, are of great help in this respect. The Netherlands has conducted six of these studies, which enable integral decision-making and better use of natural capital.

A TEEB study on the Dutch private sector identified the dependence on ecosystems in several important sectors. The study shows the risks of dependency on raw materials and biodiversity, but also what the economic opportunities are. For fish farming this has led to an alternative for fish feed: by feeding farmed fish plant-based feed instead of wild fish, the pressure on wild fish populations is reduced.

Apart from conducting TEEB studies, the Netherlands develops a digital atlas of ecosystems and their services, just like the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal. Governments can use the information for sustainable area development. Businesses can use the information to reduce the impact their activities have on nature and to fully utilise the potential of natural capital.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As I mentioned, we want to strengthen nature with society. By combining nature with societal functions and by making better use of the ecosystem services.

In our vision on nature we state that this has the greatest potential if we let natural processes take their course.

The Netherlands is a delta and Dutch nature owes its unique character to the processes occurring in this delta.

The corresponding ecosystems provide services such as flood protection, fertility of the soil and opportunities for water transport. Services that are important for society. Nature that can rely on public support has the scope to follow its own dynamics. That way a robust and resilient nature can develop with low management costs.

Following natural dynamics and focusing on conditions creates a stronger European nature network and therefore greater biodiversity. However, a strong focus on natural processes can create tension with certain European objectives. Let’s take De Grevelingen as an example.

De Grevelingen is a Natura 2000 site in the Netherlands.

It is a former sea inlet of the North Sea in the south-west of the country that was closed off in the 1970s through the construction of the Deltaworks project, to protect the area against rising sea levels.

Today De Grevelingen is the largest saltwater lake in Western Europe, particularly important for recreation.

Through the conservation of Natura 2000 values such as the Fen Orchid and Humid Dune Valleys we meet the requirements of the Birds and Habitats Directive.

However, the water quality is deteriorating. The lack of water exchange is having an increasingly negative effect on the lake’s ecosystem and it no longer meets the requirements laid down in the Water Framework Directive.

This can be resolved by reintroducing tides and therefore restoring the natural system. Doing this would mean further salinisation of De Grevelingen. That would damage existing Natura 2000 values in the longer term, and means we would no longer comply with the Birds and Habitats Directive. At the same time reintroducing tides would mean a return of robust marine nature with corresponding species such as the vulnerable Dunlin and other threatened coastal bird species.

Reintroducing tides would also facilitate salt water aquaculture and with it mussel and oyster farming. It would also make the area attractive again for recreational purposes. And the tides provide the opportunity for generating sustainable energy.

In conclusion: although some of the existing Natura 2000 values will be affected, bringing back the tides creates a better overall situation. We are therefore seeking ways to make nature more robust and stronger, while it also at the same time serves other societal interests. Because nature will benefit too as society will take a greater interest in conservation.

De Grevelingen illustrates the dilemma we face: do we focus on all eaxisting specific species and habitats or do we consider the bigger picture, with a healthy natural environment for people, plants and animals?

We want to draw attention to this dilemma during the fitness check of the Birds and the Habitats Directives.

During the fitness check, but also during the Dutch presidency of the EU in 2016, the Netherlands will focus on the need to develop a more future proof and robust nature network, and its potential for ecosystem services.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today is the International Day for Biological Diversity and the Netherlands will elect its representatives in the European Parliament. All of Europe will be heading to the polls this week.

I truly hope the urgency for stronger ecosystems will not be felt just on the International Day for Biological Diversity. And I also hope that the discussion about a more robust European nature network will extend beyond the campaign stage. I know biodiversity is high on your agenda, and I can assure you that it is very high on my agenda too.

Let us agree that in 5 years’ time we will no longer need to talk about recovery, but only about conservation. And let us ensure that caring for nature and biodiversity is enshrined in all our policies.

Thank you.